In the fairytale forest, we encounter the familiar figures of the poor siblings who have lost their way as well as the Gingerbread Witch. The story comes to a head in the famous edible house, which is sweet on the outside but a death trap within. In 1893 Engelbert Humperdinck transformed the tale by the Brothers Grimm into a work which is probably the most famous fairy-tale opera in the repertoire.

Hansel and Gretel

Semperoper Dresden

Do people need redemption? Between heavenly choirs of angels with a radiant brass aureole and a hellish cauldron of witches with the gloomy pealing of bells, the world’s spheres take on a concrete, haunting shape in the sound space of the opera „Mefistofele“. For centuries, many different artworks have been inspired by the tale of Faust, which explores the complex relationship between God, the Devil, man and woman. Who seduces whom to do what, and how can we achieve redemption?

Mefistofele

Solidarity can be shown in various ways. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is both spiritual support for the fighting country and a material expression of help for musicians. The ensemble was established in 2022 thanks to the initiative of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Grand Theater - National Opera in Warsaw. The orchestra is composed of refugees forced to leave the country for security reasons, Ukrainian musicians who are members of European orchestras and instrumentalists playing in national bands. The funds collected during the tour go to artists in need, but the symbolic dimension of the performances is equally important - the sense of unity that can be felt thanks to the power of music.

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

What would a child’s room say if it could talk? A boy goes on the rampage because he doesn’t want to do his homework; his mother, of course, blows her top. When the child vandalises his room and even torments his beloved cat, things take a surprising turn: suddenly, the mistreated furniture, cups, books and animals start to speak! And the child finds himself in a world in which he is forced to think about others.

Das Kind und der Zauberspuk / L’enfant et les sortilèges

Tired of the big city and its abundance of parties and women, the dandy Eugene Onegin travels to the countryside, where he meets Tatjana, the daughter of an estate owner. Dreaming of romantic love as described in books, she thinks she has found it in Onegin. However, he is unwilling to be tied down. After brusquely rejecting her, it is only years later that Onegin comes to understand his awful mistake and his lack of courage. Yet the realization comes too late: Tatjana has already become the wife of Prince Gremin. Tchaikovsky based his touching and intimate masterpiece from 1878 on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin. The opera not only illuminates the torn inner lives of the protagonists, but also the pitfalls of modern relationships. Markus Bothe breaks up the story's chronology using flashbacks of the various characters to create an allusive series of images in which memory, mood and the drama of the present flow seamlessly into one another.

Nicole Chirka

Events

Upcoming events

9 - 23 Feb, 2025

Das Kind und der Zauberspuk / L’enfant et les sortilèges · Semperoper Dresden

3 - 11 Jul, 2025

Eugen Onegin · Semperoper Dresden

Past events

10 - 26 Dec, 2024

Hansel and Gretel · Semperoper Dresden

Sep 28 - Oct 24, 2024

Mefistofele · Semperoper Dresden

Future and recently performed repertoire

Hänsel in Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck

Semperoper Dresden

About

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